The Master
2012137 minutes
rated R
by Scott Mendelson
Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master is such an aggressively ambiguous picture that it is almost a risk to attempt to assign explicit meaning to it. It is a sprawling and majestic character study, visually dynamic (see it in 70mm if at all possible) and superbly acted throughout. But it is arguably more of a technical exercise than an emotional journey, as the film keeps us at somewhat of a distance even as the characters occasionally pour their hearts out onscreen. But as for the film's deeper meaning, I imagine each and every single viewer will have differing opinions on that, and yes I admit my thoughts on the film may in fact be less worthwhile by virtue of only taking in a single theatrical viewing. But as Roger Ebert occasionally said, it's not 'what it's about' but 'how it's about it'. Whatever it is The Master is about, and I do have my theories, it tells its story in a rather splendid fashion.
